The Train Ain’t Stoppin’ for Long
It’s been awhile, and every time I sit down to write you all, something big happens: the Delta variant mutates into Omicron just when we think the masks can come off; we lose luminaries like bell hooks, Greg Tate, Virgil Abloh and Sidney Poitier to name a few; Russia invades Ukraine; actor Will Smith gives comedian Chris Rock a slap heard around the world; scientists warn us that we must take action now to stop global warming, before it’s too late or else; and Judge (now Supreme Court Justice in-waiting) Ketanji Brown Jackson, is subjected to the grilling of her life. The political landscape is fierce and democracy is hanging off the cliff by its fingernails.
I am not ashamed to lay claim to my astrological heritage of being born with the Sun in Pisces and a rising sign in Scorpio, while being saved from any overbearing depths of the waters by one degree of Leo that welcomes my moon in my ninth house. That makes me both cautious and sometimes overly optimistic. With the Piscean symbol of two fish swimming in two different directions bound together by the star Alrescha, which I like to think of as a celestial representation of the good graces of Oshun, Judge Jackson’s example of calm and grace under pressure is yet another example of Black womyn keeping their cool under pressure in the midst of annoying swarms of gnats that would distract us from the bigger picture. I continue to stay optimistic and hope that the battalions of resisters, find a way to get on the train towards justice. I think it’s leaving the station.
Although it can look like Lady Liberty is drowning under an assault from a power hungry and privileged minority, there are signs that liberatory forces are breaking through like weeds finding their way through cracks in a sidewalk.
In my world, I see Black artists that have been laying in the cut maintaining committed practices, and have busted out through the cracks afforded by the unfortunate murder of George Floyd in 2020. Whether or not museums and cultural institutions have been sincere in the myriad of statements that were written about Black Lives (and artists) that Matter, the creative community of African American cultural producers has seized the moment, as well as curators of color that have regenerated historical examples of excellence like Augusta Savage, and other artist elders whose celebration in significant ways is long overdue and are too many to name.
In my academic affiliations, I see cracks too. At my new academic home Penn State, Neeli Bendapudi will be the first female and person of color to led this institution come May, and at my alma mater RISD, Crystal Williams, will assume the helm as its 18th president. Like Judge Jackson, they are uber-qualified to lead. Thinking of President Obama, who in 2008, took over to rebuild an economy that was at its worse since the Great Depression, these two womyn will be leading institutions at a time of unprecedented challenges in higher education. Being president is no joke. These are complex leadership positions at a time when the complexities of navigating the current polarized political, economic and social landscape are uncharted.
The aftereffects of the pandemic has inspired change, personal reflection, and all manner of reassessments in our lives. As some of you know, the end of 2021 brought change to my own professional and personal life with a move from my beloved Chicago to Pennsylvania and to Philly where I am now based, closer to family and longtime friends. I am reimagining my creative practices and staying connected to creative communities as I do.
While my making is somewhat suspended until I set up my new studio, there are things brewing. I hope though all this turmoil and change, you are finding ways to thrive!